Alexa Skills Kit with Web API on Azure

Alexa Skills Kit with Web API on Azure

Heather Downing

Heather Downing

@quorralyne

DigitalLightCycle.Blogspot.com

[email protected]

● Focus in .Net, mobile and voice apps● Experience developing for Fortune 500

companies ● Speaker and entrepreneur ● Horseback Archery Competitor● Elven vocalist with 3 recorded albums● Semi-Professional photographer

@quorralyne

There are over 10,000 skills available currently in the Alexa store.

Documentation:

developer.amazon.com/alexa

What do you want to build?Flash Briefing Skill

Smart Home Skill

Custom Skill

Flash Briefing Skill

Smart Home Skill

Custom Skill

Alexa Custom SkillComponents

1. Intents

1. Intents

Various commands the user can access.

Think of them as events.

2. Sample Utterances

2. Sample Utterances

Specific words/phrases the user can say to invoke your intents.

There can be many versions of an utterance to invoke a single intent.

3. Invocation Name

3. Invocation Name

The word/phrase that the user speaks to identify your skill.

It may or may not match the name of your skill.

4. Cloud Service

4. Cloud Service

Accepts these Intents and acts upon them.

Will form a response to the Alexa request.

5. Portal Configuration

5. Portal Configuration

Ties everything together and allows Alexa to route requests to the web service for your skill.

Controls publishing.

Just one! Your own.(With a little help from your smart phone)

Tip

Remember. If something sounds like common sense, people will ignore it.

Highlight what is unexpected about your topic.

Skill Visual Components

Card

Displays for each intent in Alexa companion application

Android, iOS, & Web

Cloud-Based ServiceAWS Lambda Functions

OR

Web Service over HTTPS

Custom Slots & Built-In Intents

Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) & Speechcons

Portal Tour

Let’s Code

Additional ReferencesIntent Sequencing:

freebusy.io/blog/building-conversational-alexa-apps-for-amazon-echo

SSML:

bespoken.tools/blog/2017/02/13/playing-audio-with-alexa-using-ssml

LCARS Example Skill:

https://github.com/Quorralyne/LCARS-Alexa-Skill-WebAPI

Walter QuesadaPluralsight Author

.Net/Web API/Azure

https://app.pluralsight.com/courses/amazon-echo-developing-alexa-skills

In Conclusion…Keep skills short and to the point

Build efficient executable code (>4.5 seconds)

Adhere to voice design principles

HAVE FUN!

Stay curious.

slideshare.net/quorralyne

github.com/quorralyne

Heather Downing@quorralyne

[email protected]

DigitalLightCycle.blogspot.com